On Tuesday 29 April, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published the 2025 update on national human rights institutions (NHRIs).
The latter were created to monitor and promote respect for human rights and as such have a key role to play in protecting the EU’s democratic values.
However, their level of development remains very uneven from one country to another. To date, five institutions, located in the Czech Republic, Italy, Malta and Romania (where two separate bodies remain unaccredited), still do not have a body accredited in accordance with the international standards defined by the Paris Principles.
These shortcomings, according to the FRA and to the EU Council’s conclusions, are slowing down the construction of a coherent framework for protecting fundamental rights at European level.
Nevertheless, some trends are encouraging. And with good reason: since the last report published in 2023, eighteen NHRIs have applied for accreditation or re-accreditation, demonstrating a desire to strengthen their legitimacy and role.
In addition, in several countries, the mandates of NHRIs have been expanded to new areas. As a result, nine institutions are now responsible for children’s rights, while others have been entrusted with freedom of information or the possibility of bringing cases before the constitutional courts.
Another indicator of NHRI engagement is the use of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
In 2024, only three institutions (in France, Italy and Finland) did not use it.
Conversely, the FRA has counted twenty that used it in awareness-raising or training activities, and five in court cases. The charter’s gradual integration demonstrates, therefore, that it is becoming an operational tool that goes beyond its symbolic scope.
The greater involvement of NHRIs in drafting legislation is also encouraging. Twenty-six institutions took part in impact assessments or analyses of draft legislation in 2024. Sixteen of them were involved at every stage of the process. These advances reflect greater recognition of their expertise in national public debates.
However, participation in the monitoring of European funds remains limited. Only thirteen NHRIs contribute to monitoring respect for fundamental rights within this context, a figure unchanged since 2023. This situation is partly explained by a lack of human and financial resources, the absence of official invitations and doubts about their independence.
While the European Commission described NHRIs as “a core element in the system of checks and balances” in its 2023 Rule of Law Report (https://aeur.eu/f/gm7 ) and stressed in its 2024 Report (https://aeur.eu/f/gm8 ) that “many Member States have made progress in strengthening the role of independent institutions, such as ombudspersons and national human rights bodies”, the FRA report points out that their strengthening remains ongoing.
The shortcomings of certain national human rights institutions in several Member States continue to undermine the equal treatment of fundamental rights within the European Union.
Read the report: https://aeur.eu/f/gm6 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)